TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Labor Minister Ho Pei-shan (何佩珊) said Wednesday (Oct. 30) that the biggest gap in Taiwan's workforce is mid-level workers. 

The Ministry of Labor said it will target foreign students to bridge the gap by expanding work opportunities and training programs, per CNA. In August, foreign students who obtained associate or higher degrees from Taiwan became eligible for mid-level work in the hotel industry, including jobs such as housekeeping and reception. 

Mid-level workers, or “skill level 2,” cover occupations such as clerks, sales workers, and machine operators. It often requires a junior high school education, per the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO). 

The labor ministry’s most recent labor shortage survey showed that out of 66,300 job vacancies as of July, 40,000 were for skill level 2. “Skill level 1,” covering positions such as cleaners and movers, only reported a 5,000 worker shortage, or 7% of the total shortage. 

By sector, Ho said the service sector reported 35,800 vacancies, or 53.8%. The industrial sector had a shortage of 30,500 workers, or 46.2%. 

Beyond trying to build up the local workforce, the ministry plans to expand the range of mid-level positions to foreign students by the end of this year. This will include hospital caregiving assistants, warehouse and logistics workers, and bus and truck drivers, she said.

However, Ho acknowledged the results of similar efforts to tackle the hospitality industry’s labor shortage have not been promising. Data showed that of 7,758 people recommended to fill 1,618 job vacancies in hotels as of October, only 963 were filled. 

During the legislative session on Wednesday, lawmakers also criticized the labor ministry’s NT$1 billion (US$31.2 million) post-pandemic employment plan meant to target 20,000 workers. Ho said the plan had not been successful partly due to employers preferring cheaper, foreign labor to fill job positions.